Carnival of Hell
by Tsuki-shining09
Summary: They laugh and throw their snacks at him. "A freak! He's a freak!" The child shrinks back at the insults and tries to shield himself from the projectiles coming his way. Nobody cares. Nobody will ever care. He'd prefer to die than live in this hell. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Before Note: Hello there. If you are reading this, then, I appreciate your interest in this fanfic of mine. This isn't the first fic I've written, just the first fic I'm writing in this new account I made, so I have a bit of experience in...ummm...fanfic writing, I guess. **

**For my friends out there, I'm pretty sure I left anonymous reviews on, so you can review if you want to or just tell me what you think personally.**

**Inspiration: I was inspired by many things. Lemony Snicket's _A Series of Unfortunate Events _got me into a depressing mood. Carnival themes have been getting me wacked out. I am not going to go into much detail. This chapter will mostly be the flashback at the beginning. I'm still working on my writing skills, and I changed the atmosphere I was planning to give this story, so yeah, wacked out latley.**

**I do not own any characters from the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' series or whatever, they belong to Sega and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>The small kit ran as fast as he could. He set aside the pain that filled his body and focused on running. Running to wherever his feet would take him. He desperately needed to get away, far away as quickly as possible.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Miles screamed in pain as a brutal kick was brought against his ribs. He fell limp against the ground, causing more pain to spike through his body. A pile of blood made its way up his throat and the young fox mustered up the strength to get on his knees to let it all out.<em>

"_Stay down, freak!"_

_His attackers delivered a kick to his stomach. The kit dropped to the floor and didn't try to get up again. He was too scared and too weak to do so. With the little to no pride he had left, the young fox directed his sky blue eyes to meet the ones of his tormentors._

_There were three in total. They were all hooded individuals, their faces hidden in the darkness of the night. The kit could, however, tell that they were all felines. Two bright yellow orbs shone in the dark voids of each of their heads, their clawed hands gleamed in the moonlight. They all stood surrounding the poor child, as if ready to pounce on their prey. That's when the revelation hit the fox. Hard. Like a pile of bricks. _

_They were capable of **killing **him. _

_Miles knew that he couldn't defend himself. He never could. He was too small, too weak, too **young**. _

_How could a kit of **five years of age **defend himself all **alone** in the forest? _

_The kit's parents had abandoned their child in the forest in the middle of the night. They never loved him, they never cared for him, he was a shame to the family. They thought their child was disgusting. Just because of a birth defect. Just because of a second tail. Not only did his parents see him as a freak, society did as well. Everyone **hated **him. The kids would torment and hurt him at every chance they got; the adults would kick him out of the way every time they walked past him. Miles was an outcast to society._

_Nobody wanted him. Nobody cared. _

"_So, what's it gonna be, **freak**?" one of them sneered. The fox gave a painful yelp as he felt a pairs of hands wrap around his twin tails and lift him up from the earth. _

"_Who cares", another said, "It's still going to be slow and painful." _

"_I guess you're right, these disgusting little monsters need to be taken care of anyway. Honestly, we are doing the world a favor", the one holding the kit said. There was a moment's silence until all of them cackled maniacally. Miles gasped as he heard the slick sound of a switchblade being brought out. His life had never been easy, but he didn't want to die! _

_The young fox looked around frantically for something, anything that could help him get out of this mess. It was useless to struggle. They had a firm grip on his tails and he would surely get beaten more for trying. That's when his eye got a glimpse of the switchblade held in his attacker's hand. If only…_

_If only he could get a hold of that switchblade._

_They only had his tails held together. His arms and legs were free. He could easily kick the one holding him. If he could manage that then maybe…_

"_Let's gut him!" _

"_Let's cut one of his tails off!"_

_Miles's stomach made a flip of fear with the sickening images that filled his mind as they each gave out suggestions…..On how to kill him. He needed to do something. Now._

"_I know! Let's-Ugh! Hey!"_

_The kit had kicked the one holding him as hard as he could on the stomach. It seemed to be effective enough, his attacker had doubled over, letting his grip on Miles and the switchblade go loose. The fox dropped to the ground hard, but he got up as quickly as he could with the strength he had left, ignoring the burning pain in his chest. Looking frantically for the switchblade, he was thankful enough that it was only a few inches away from him. He quickly snatched it from the ground and made a run for it._

"_Not so fast!"_

_One of them managed to grip his left arm. Thinking fast, the kit whirled around with his right arm stretched out, the one holding the blade, and lashed at his attacker's face. The assailant immediately let go of his victim and placed his hand on his wound, all while muttering a barrage of profanity._

_The kit didn't waste time to see what would happen next. He ran into the cluttered plants of the forest and kept on running as fast as his legs would permit him. The yelling voices of his tormentors could be heard from a distance, and it got fainter as the kit kept on running. The fox gave a sigh of relief. So they were not going to follow him. He probably wasn't worth their time._

_Miles kept on running even after he couldn't hear the yelling voices anymore. He didn't want to risk it. He had barely made it out alive._

_It was **too **close this time. Too close._

_Ignoring the pain that spiked through his body with every step he took, the young fox kept on running, trying to find shelter, a safe place where he could spend the night._

* * *

><p>Miles gave a shaky breath as he sat down on the damp, muddy ground of the forest. The pain in his chest was nearly unbearable, but he couldn't do anything about it. Resting his back against a tree trunk, the fox let his eyelids shut close, and concentrated on calming his breaths down.<p>

He had made it out alive. That was the good news. The bad news, however, was that if those three individuals had been out to get him, others would try to do the same. This was the first time someone had cornered him with the intent to get rid of him. Usually, they would only hurt him without going overboard for kicks. Like if he was some sort of toy. An old, beaten up toy.

Ignoring the unpleasant thought, Miles focused on his current situation. He must have ran pretty far, since he couldn't identify what part of the forest he was in, so he would have to find a way back to where he came from.

_And meet the people who tried to kill him again._

Thinking better of it, the kit decided to stay at his current location, it wouldn't make much difference to the way he was living.

_All alone with nobody that cared, struggling for food and shelter._

The twin-tailed fox forced himself to stand up. The aching pain in his chest subsided a bit, but it still hurt. He decided to ignore it as best he could for the meantime. His stomach growled with hunger and he decided to search for something edible before finding a decent place to sleep.

After walking through a group of bushes and trees, the kit came across a dirt path. He rarely saw any type of path in the forest, and if he did, it usually led to the city or to an isolated house. Curiosity taking the best of the young, twin-tailed fox, he decided to take the path and see where it led to.

The moonlight lit the path, encouraging the kit to follow. The darkness seemed to fade away and his excitement grew with each step he took. He had a feeling in his chest, and not the painful one that he was trying to ignore, but a feeling that he was going to find something new. Something he had never seen before, not necessarily good, not necessarily bad.

At last, a bright light shone at the end of the path. Miles quickened his step in order to see exactly what was there. As he got closer, the light got brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding. He reached a large clearing in the forest and when his vision adjusted, he gasped in awe at what he saw.

Miles had only _heard_ of carnivals, but he had never _seen _one.

When he heard of the people that cluttered the area, he never imagined that it would be so crowded that you would have to push your way through to get to your next destination. When he heard of the various games held there, he never thought you would come out with so many prizes that you can barely walk with them. When he heard of the delicious smells of the delicious food they gave out, he never thought those delicious smells of those delicious foods would be so _intoxicating_. When he heard of the big, white and red striped tent where the main performances were held, he _definitely_ never thought that it would be so huge, _way_ taller than the trees surrounding it, and so wide and long that it seemed that it would engulf the _whole_ forest.

Miles was absolutely, wholeheartedly excited.

He smiled a smile of a child, a smile of what he is, and took his first steps toward the new world he had discovered.

The kit did not want to be seen, for obvious reasons, so he tried to sneak in as best as he could. He managed to hide in the massive crowd, who thankfully didn't seem to notice the child among them. Miles walked along with the people and through the entrance, and then slipped out of the crowd discreetly and hid behind a box of hot dog buns located by what looked like a storage room.

So far, so good.

The smells of hot dogs filled the air, and the aroma called out to the kit's stomach, which rumbled in response. The fox gave a sheepish smile and noticed the hot dog stand just a distance away. Sausages went crisp in the clear oven, visibly clear to any passerby. The kit's mouth watered just by looking at it. It's been a long time since he saw something so appetizing.

He was sure no one would mind if one went missing, right?

Miles poked his head out from behind the box. No one seemed to be around, not even the hot dog stand owner. He smiled and quickly made his way across the path.

His plan was easier said than done.

The child noticed this immediately as the table towered over him. His outstretched hand could barely touch the edge of the table! _This is going to be a problem. _Looking for anything that could assist him, a plastic crate caught his eye. _Perfect! _It took a while, with the little strength the kit had, but soon enough, the crate served as the perfect stepping stool. Miles climbed on top and was now able to see the items that lay on the table. Ignoring all the cooking utensils, he focused only on the already prepared hot dog. His mouth watered at the sight. He was like a survivor in the desert who had finally found a water spring after many days. Snapping out of his trance, he quickly made a grab for the yummy food.

Well, he would have if he hadn't been grabbed roughly by the shoulders.

Already terrified, the wide-eyed child looked behind his shoulder to see a tall, skinny figure, its limbs sticking out at odd angles. His white face contrasted with his green hair, his red lips curved up in a devilish grin.

"What's a _freak_ like _you_ doing in a place like _this_?"

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: Finally! First chapter done! (It seemed a bit short, I'll try to make the next chapter longer) I am satisfied with the results, I don't know about you guys. This would have been uploaded a week ago at the most but I've barely had the time to sit here at my computer for a while without my mom deciding to move the furniture around or what not. I'm not complaining, I know the things we've been doing lately need to be done, but I was DESPERATE to get this uploaded. My mom doesn't know how important this hobby is to me, but at least she knows that I try to be patient and gives me time of my own every once in a while. Enough with my problems, thanks a lot for reading. :D<strong>

**Comments and feedbacks are always welcome. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Before note: I am a slow writer [and a bit lazy]. I'll try to schedule myself a bit more for next time.**

**For all my reviewers: I LUV you guys :3 You are awesome! I am glad all of you liked my first chapter! (drowning in joy)**

**Inspiration: Lemony Snicket is my role model now. I finished a _Series of Unfortunate Events _the other week and I am just AMAZED at how creative his writing can get. I just love that guy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any _Sonic the Hedgehog _characters, they all rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>"What's a <em>freak<em> like _you_ doing in a place like _this_?"

Miles was stiff with fear and stayed silent. He wasn't expecting this. He didn't want this to happen. All he wanted was a bite to eat. That was all he wanted. _That was all he wanted._

But he had never gotten what he wanted.

"Not a talker, eh? No worries, you are coming with me anyways", the clown concluded, his high-pitched voice and malevolent tone only increased Miles's fear. His grip tightened on the kit's shoulders. The twin tailed fox yelped in protest, but the clown was already dragging him along while skipping gleefully in his large, red shoes.

It was no use to struggle; it would only make matters worse.

The kit dropped his gaze to the ground, trying ever so hard to ignore all the insults and pointing fingers directed at him as he was pulled roughly through the bright carnival crowd. Everyone rushed out of the way, as if the plague was coming in.

"_Mommy! He has two tails!"_

"_Ugh, let's go somewhere else; I don't want to be close to that thing."_

"_He's a freak."_

"_Freak!"_

"_Ha-Ha! Freak!"_

Miles drooped his large fox ears flat against his head in shame and tried to keep up with the clown, whose steps were large compared to the kit's tiny ones.

_Freak freak freak freak freak freak_

The word echoed in and out of the kit's head. How many times had he been called that?

Too many, he supposed.

Rough tugs on his arm to quicken the pace made Miles snap his head back on the path. They were headed toward a dark colored tent that was embroidered with golden lining. It was isolated at the far end of the carnival as if it was too good to be around the other tents. The fox then wondered _who _he was being taken to and _what_ exactly was going to happen to him.

Judging on his luck, he wasn't going to face anything good.

Miles could hope and hope, but nothing good was going to come out of this. The twin-tailed fox had learned this the hard way. Hoping wouldn't always get you what you want. The world just didn't work that way.

They stopped in their tracks right in front of the tent entrance, which was blocked by a dark curtain. The malevolent clown pulled the fox up from the ground by his arm and swung him into the tent. Miles felt the soft fabric slide against his skin, but he landed with a rough '_thud!_' onto a carpet. He gave a small yelp and tried to get up as quickly as he could. Stumbling on his own two feet, Miles finally stood up and saw the silhouette of the clown towering in front of the entrance, the colorful carnival lights shining behind him as if in spotlight.

"Hey boss! Look at what I found!" the clown announced. He put his hands on his hips, trying to look like a hero.

Miles looked around the room, his childlike curiosity taking everything in. The room was dark, with the exception of the two lamplights located at each wall. The floor was messy with stray clothes that lost their way to the laundry hamper, and various papers that lost their way to the trashcan. The only furniture in sight was a wooden desk by the entrance and a king-sized bed at the far end of the room, its sheets all scrambled up like this room it was in.

"What have I told you about entering without my permission you meddling clown!" a voice was heard from a corner of the room. Miles heard the clown sigh and when he turned around he saw him rolling his eyes. The kit tilted his head sideways, but snapped his attention to the other side of the room as he heard shuffling noises. There was a folding screen, and Miles could only see the silhouette of a person changing desperately, piles of clothes flying in every direction. The person behind the folding screen was definitely a bit on the overweight side. However, telling by the shadow, the person was tall with long, thin legs and his belly was in a very odd, round shape.

At last, the mysterious figure walked out from behind the folding screen. He was wearing a white tailcoat with golden buttons and tuxedo pants with black boots that went up to the knee. Dusting off his shoulders and adjusting his black bowtie with his gloved hands, he then placed a white top hat with golden lining on top of his bald, egg-shaped head.

He was the ringmaster.

"Oi! What do you want right now?" the man scowled deeply, his thick orange mustache twitched, "We are starting the show in fifteen minutes, go and get ready!" his gaze fell upon the kit at his feet and his scowl deepened. "Who is this runt?"

The clown burst into a huge grin. "He was trying to steal from the hot dog stand and I caught him. I thought you might want to use him." That last part was said in a sing-song tone, and the clown swung back and forth on his heels.

The man was about to retort something back to his employee, but he stopped abruptly. Miles, already wide-eyed with fear, tried to figure out what made the ringmaster stop.

"I haven't had one of you in a while." The man spoke in a rough voice that slithered with a venom-like tone, making the fox shiver.

The young kit gasped as he was pulled by his tails and lifted from the ground, yet again. After inspecting Miles closely, the large man just dropped the child to the floor immediately.

_Just a useless ragdoll._

"We'll use him," the ringmaster announced, "You know what to do." The man waved his hand dismissively and went to stack a few papers on his desk.

The clown grinned evilly and picked up the kit by the scruff of his neck. Miles had no clue as to _what _they wanted to use him for and his fear grew with every long step the clown took. Miles couldn't get out of this one, not this time. The fox was dropped into a rusty metal cage and a blanket was draped over it, hiding the world and all hopes and dreams from innocent eyes.

Miles wasn't scared. He was _terrified_.

The kit didn't know where he was, or what was going to happen to him. He had been moved around frequently in that metal cage he was in, with a lot of different voices echoing in the background. The people seemed to be busy. It wasn't that until the chattering of a crowd was heard, that it came to the fox that he was in the main tent. A few minutes of silence came by and Miles wondered what exactly must be going on outside the cage. A sound of a switch was heard nearby along with a booming drum roll.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen! Kids of all ages! I, the great Ivo Bombini , welcome you to the fantastic, Carnevale di Gloria!"_

The twin-tailed fox recognized that as the ringmaster's voice as the crowd cheered and applauded. He leaned in closer, his fox ear twitching in order to focus on what was going to happen next.

_"We have a new, special opening performance!"_

The audience whispered with itself in anticipation.

_"Tonight, you will witness the most freakish scene of..." _

Unfortunately for Miles, someone started to push the metal cage he was in, and the sound of metal against the ground drowned out any other sound heard before. The kit held on to the metal bars, so he wouldn't be jumbled around in the small cage as it was being pushed to wherever it was being pushed to. Someone pulled the blanket off from the cage and the sudden brightness blinded the fox for moments. He was brought out from the cage and when his vision adjusted, he was met with bright colors and a staring audience.

Miles went wide eyed, and instict told him to run in any direction off the stage. As he ran in one direction, a twin pair of clowns blocked his way, grinning symmetrically with small trumpets in each hand. The twin-tailed fox yelled, terrified, and ran in the other direction as fast as he could. Members of the circus band and clowns surrounded the stage. Their faces were pale with make-up and their grins couldn't seem to grow bigger. Their wild, colorful wigs made them look like they came out of a mental hospital and their bright clothes camouflaged with their surroundings. The evil laughs and colors seemed to blend and swirl into a nightmare all around the terrified fox. It all became a blur, and Miles couldn't take it anymore. He sreamed and ran in any direction he could. However...

The snap of a whip crackled in the air.

Gasps were heard.

And a twin-tailed fox dropped to the ground on his knees.

Miles hissed and gasped from the burning pain on his back. The blood started to ooze through his fur, his eyes were wide and his brain felt stunned; he dared look back over his shoulder.

Ivo Bombini glared down at the small child at his feet, one hand holding the edge of his top hat and the other holding a menacing leather whip. He knelt down on one knee to be eye level with the kit and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

_"Listen, freak, you are part of this carnival now, whether you like it or not. This carnival belongs to me. In other words, you are now part of my property. You **will **do as I say, or things will not get pretty, understood?"_

The words dripped with poison, and the child couldn't even look at the man in the eye. He locked his gaze on the ground, and his eyes widened as the man spoke his words. Even as the ringmaster stood up and faced the audience, explaining the situation and assuring that the show will go on, the fox stayed as he was, too scared to move.

Miles didn't understand how things had gotten from bad to worse, but he couldn't do anything about it now. He is now trapped in this malicious carnival that he might never get out of. The wound on his back stung and the kit flinched. No, he wasn't just trapped in a carnival.

_"Freak!" a person from the audience yelled, and he bothered to throw his snack at the child. Everyone in the crowd laughed in amusement._

_Miles was trapped in hell._

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: Well, there you have it, short, but that completes the first part of this story. It is a slow beginning, I know, but things will start getting into action in the chapters to come. I will try to update quicker, and since I have a three-day weekend with nothing much to do, I will use my extra time...wisely. <strong>

**Ivo Bombini? Yeah, I suck with names.**

**Thank you for reading. Comments and feedback is always welcome! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before Note: I'm really sorry for the late update. And here's my story:**

**I had time the first week. Three day weekend, nothing to do; so I sat at my computer, I opened a new document, and...**

**Nothing.**

**Yes people, Writer's Block knocked on my door and I let 'em in. I LET 'EM IN! D:**

**And when I kicked Writer's Block out from my home...**

**I had no time.**

**My schedule was filled with chores, errands, and boy, LOTS of homework. I don't exactly enjoy research reports.**

**And then I ate something bad. Sickness. XP Yeah.**

**But now I had time and I typed this up. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Sonic the Hedgehog o_r any of its characters, they rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team**

* * *

><p>Miles wrapped his twin tails around his tiny body in a poor attempt to shield himself from the projectiles coming his way. The buttery popcorn spilled around him and the ice-cold soda oozed through his fur, leaving a sticky trail down his back, barely missing the wound on his back that was just beginning to heal.<p>

The kit had no clue as to how long he had been trapped in this treacherous carnival (He guessed about a week at the most). Every day was the same. The pain was the same. And the taunts were the same.

No one seemed to care how the fox felt when they yelled names at him, insulted him, threw there snacks at him, or when he was struck or roughly handled when stepping on stage. The kit didn't know why society acted the way they acted towards him, he couldn't explain it. Miles had never done anything to anger or disturb them. He knew he was different, he knew he wasn't like everyone else, in physical terms. However, he acted like them didn't he? If he didn't have a second tail, he would still be the same person with the same personality, wouldn't he?

Ivo Bombini stood at the backside of the stage, satisfied with his happy, cheery customers.

Another carnival snack made its way onto the stage and hit the fox right on his head. The audience laughed and cheered in amusement. That's all they did. They threw items at the kit and laughed, insulted and laughed. Some even tried to approach him but were held back, so violence wouldn't break loose. Which didn't make sense to the kit at all since violence was the only thing he got when they forced him on stage. Miles tightened his hold on himself and let a single tear slip from his sky blue eyes. The young child had never felt so embarrassed, so hurt, and so scared in his entire, short life.

_He'd prefer to die than live in this hell_.

"Okay folks! That's all for today! We hope you will come again, we will have special, new performances coming soon!" Bombini dismissed the crowd, who applauded in satisfaction and piled out of the carnival tent like water.

Miles loosened his hold on himself and looked up to find the audience stands empty, with the exception of the employees sweeping up trash left behind near the stage.

_'That seemed quick._'

The ringmaster came up to the kit and gave him a slight kick to the ribs. The twin tailed fox cringed, but looked up to the man nevertheless.

"You know the drill, freak. Get to it before you miss out on your dinner." Bombini stated. Miles uttered a small, shy "Yes sir" and stood up. Ivo glared and turned around to leave to take care of his business.

The fox was treated like a dog. A weak, stray dog.

The people at the carnival would not feed him (under Bombini's orders), they wouldn't even give him _scraps._ The only food the kit would ever receive was that of the snacks thrown to him during the show.

Looking around, the twin tailed fox found a bag of pretzels that looked decent enough to munch on. He sat down, legs spread out, and held one of the pretzels with his paw. After studying it for a moment, he took a cautious bite from it. And another. And another. And yet another until the bag was nearly empty. Miles looked down on the food with a blank stare. He had refused to eat much the first few days. The food had looked even more disgusting than what he usually had to find to eat and the hunger had gotten the better of him this time. The kit sighed and crawled around, picking up anything that looked good enough to digest. After a few hot dogs and half-eaten caramel apples, one of the clowns came over to him.

Dinner time was over.

Soon enough, Miles was forced into a cage with rusted metal bars. It was surprisingly more open-spaced than the first cage he was put into. The door creaked close and was secured with a padlock as the kit watched silently. The cage was placed outdoors and when a nightly breeze blew by, the kit shivered and wrapped his tails around himself to keep warm, since he was provided with absolutely nothing to keep warm and comfortable. He lay down on the frozen surface of his sleeping place, shivering and crying silently.

He attempted to drift off into sleep, but he just couldn't. The sounds the wind made as it blew through the trees and the dim shadows made by the lights in the nearby tents made the kit feel scared and insecure. The young fox sat up, hugging his knees against his chest and wrapped his twin tails around himself. He stared at the rusty metal bars that held him captive, afraid that something could just slither in there and bring him more harm. Time went by and nothing happened. The kit's eyes felt heavy and he couldn't stay awake any longer. With a soft thud, Miles fell to the side and fell into a deep sleep.

Miles was having his worst day so far.

And that was saying something.

The twin-tailed kit had been harshly woken up with a bucket of ice-cold water. Worst of all, it was really early in the morning. The sun was barely peeking out from behind the mountains in the distance and the wind came as cold as the water. The child had screamed and immediately held himself in attempt to make the freezing cold that was sinking into his skin go away. His tails lay limp by his side, soaked and flat than their usual puffed form. The kit looked fearfully up to the clown that had previously captured him, his body wouldn't stop trembling. Both from fear and the cold.

"Aww, is the poor freak cold?" The clown said in a ridiculous tone of voice. He set down the bucket and proceeded to unlock the chain keeping the fox caged with a key that hung on a chain from his neck. Once opened, he dropped the key under his shirt and made a grab for the fox, who was too cold to move or fight back as he was pulled by the arm.

Miles was dragged into a green colored tent that served as common room for the employees of the carnival. Many clowns, already dressed up, were sitting at a worn-out table, lazily eating cereal or toast. The kit was chained by his middle to a wooden pole that kept the tent up. The metal links were thick and cool to the touch, nearly crushing the child's bones. A plate of an unidentified substance was placed in front of him. The fox scrunched up his face in disgust and looked up to the clown, who gave him a glare that meant, _'You better eat it or else'._

Miles looked down to the goo and gulped. He lifted the plate, sniffed it, and brought it to his lips since he was provided with no eating utensil. The taste was repulsive, and the kit was about to spit it out but decided against it when he noticed the clown looking at him from the corner of his eye. Miles gave up and gulped down the substance, trying ever so hard to _keep_ it down. It took a while for the kit to get used to the taste without it giving him a nauseous feeling. But he managed.

Soon enough, the fox was unchained and taken to the main tent, which was as quiet as a ghost town. He looked around, even though he had been in there more than once, too many times for him. The clown dropped him into the rusty cage from before, and he would be left there until the show. He didn't even get to eat lunch since the show would always start by the time the sun went down.

As the clown's footstep faded, and the main tent went dead quiet once again, Miles seemed to relax and he let his tense body go loose. Maybe it was because he was alone, or maybe it was because he wasn't being hurt, whatever it was, the kit felt safe. It was a bizarre idea, considering he was locked in a cage waiting to be tormented in a short time, but it was something.

The sounds of a working backstage came into the tent and Miles relaxation flew out the window. The show would be starting soon. The kit watched nervously at the crew that walked back and forth carrying props and lights. Nobody paid any mind to him as if he weren't there and the fox wondered if they would notice if he escaped.

_And here comes the hope again. Useless hope. _

The sound of people entering and chatting was heard in the background, which meant that the show would be starting soon.

Suddenly, it all went quiet and Miles figured that the show must have already started.

_"Ladies and Gentlemen! Kids of all ages! Welcome to the grand Carnivale di Gloria! Please enjoy our performances tonight!"_

Miles sure wouldn't.

Ivo kept on announcing, but the kit didn't pay any mind. It was all the same anyway. Soon enough, many of the acrobats and clowns were rushing by, ready to go on stage.

Miles sure wasn't.

Carnival music played, and the crowd could be heard applauding and cheering. After every act that followed, the fox kept getting more scared. And then it came.

"Come on freak, you're up!" One of the acrobats yelled.

The cage was opened and a pair of hands came into view and grabbed the child, who pressed himself against the metal bars in attempt to get away. It was futile, and Miles was soon being forced into the direction of the stage. The others glared in his direction as the kit was being pushed and kicked to move forward. Miles gave up, his backside ached and it would be smarter to just go on with it. Right?

_It always took a while for his vision to adjust to the brightness, and when his vision did clear up, it always seemed like it would be the first time he was put on stage. The audience first went quiet, and then there would always be this one person that yelled 'Freak!' and throw something, anything, at him. Then, mob psychology kicked in and everyone joined in with the insults. _

"Freak!" Someone yelled. A corn dog flew toward the stage, barely missing the kit who stumbled back and fell down in order to dodge.

Laughter spread out and the projectiles came in a barrage. Miles would occasionally dodge a food item, but when something did hit him, he would flinch back as if in electrical shock and let a tear slip from his eye. He kept his gaze down, the tears kept flowing and he started to breathe heavily.

Nobody cared.

The child wiped his nose with his arm. And that's when he saw it.

When he saw _him._

He stood there, by the tent entrance, leaning back onto a metal pole. His arms were crossed, he wore a dark coat that covered his whole body. A round hat hid his face.

And he just stood there.

_Who is that?_

Miles was now staring over his shoulder, mouth slightly parted and eyes wide in curiosity.

The mysterious figure looked up and locked eyes with the kit.

With a blush of embarrassment, the twin-tailed fox snapped his head away. Miles couldn't help but look back and noticed what seemed like a grin spread across the hedgehog's, he noticed, face.

He was to far away, he couldn't tell.

What he could tell, however, was that the figure wore a pair of incredibly crimson red eyes. He had never seen someone with red eyes before.

But that didn't mean he disliked them.

They stared at each other, studying each other. There seemed to be some sort of connection between them and Miles actually felt some sort of hope that someone might actually care.

And with a simple action, hope was lost. _Remember what he said about hoping?_

A full cup of soda actually made its way to the stage and hit right to its target. Miles yelped in surprise and was soaked once again. He stared at the audience and when he regained his senses, he looked into the direction of the dark hedgehog.

Only to see him scrunch up his face his disgust and walk out of the tent in the darkness.

The kit frowned.

_Was he really that disgusting to look at?_

A longing look came over the kit as he stared at the tent entrance, as if the dark figure could just reappear. He ignored the audience's taunts and food items and just thought over and over again.

_**Who was that mysterious figure?**_

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: Okaaayy. There you have it. I think this was a bit longer than the other chapters...Yay.<strong>

**I don't know how this came out, so please let me know if I did something wrong. I've been a little nervous about this chapter.**

**Thank you to my reviewers (please be patient with me) and everyone who reads.**

**Comments and feedback is always welcome. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Before Note: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I don't know what came over me, I sort of forgot about it the first few weeks and it went downhill from there. I worked on this throughout the week (Spring Break! :D) though. I worked real hard so I hope I did a good job on this.**

**I'd like to thank ALL my revieweres and people who faved/added to alerts. You guys ROCK. If you are still with me here, since it's been over a month, I appreciate your patience (I told you guys would need to be patient! XP)**

**Ok well, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: All Sonic characters used rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>Miles was beginning to lose all hope of….of everything.<p>

There seemed to be no hope of a better tomorrow, or hope of being set free from this carnival of hell.

_No hope of the mysterious figure returning to the carnival once more._

Nothing came up to the kit's favor, ever.

These were the last thoughts that came to the child's mind as he curled up on the cold, metal floor, attempting to conserve his body warmth in order to fall asleep comfortably.

Ha! Comfortably. That's a good one.

* * *

><p>It was lunch time, and all the clowns and performers gathered in the common room tent to get a bite to eat before organizing for that night's show. As usual, Miles was chained up in the corner, like some sort of punished dog. His sky blue eyes stared jealously at the hot meals that the crew was devouring. One of them noticed him staring and smirked. He came up to the kit and waved his hamburger in front of his face. The food item looked so much more appetizing that the child's stomach groaned in protest. Miles made pleading eyes to the clown: Could he maybe just sacrifice a teeny, tiny part of his meal?<p>

_Was he dreaming?_

The (naturally) mischievous clown took a generous bite of his food, chewed it slowly as to mock the fox, and left casually with a smug look on his face.

Miles's eyes filled with disappointment. But deep inside, he knew he shouldn't have hoped for anything anyways.

The usual routine made itself present and soon enough, Miles was set in a cage to wait out until the night's show would go on a roll. During this time (a couple of hours at the most) the kit had nothing to do and so he curled up with his tails close around him drifted into a short nap.

Nobody would notice him anyways.

The twin-tailed kit had no idea what had woken him up. It could have been the sound of a trumpet being blown. Perhaps the bizarre squeaks of the clowns voices. It could have also been the sound of equipment being dropped nearby backstage. Or…All of the above?

At the moment nothing mattered to the child besides the fact that the performances had already started and that a crew member was making his way to his cage, ready to shove him onstage. Miles's heart was running a mile a minute as the cage was opened and a pair of foreign hands made a victorious grab at his twin tails. The kit gave a surprised yelp at the sudden pull even though many have grabbed him that way many times before. His protest of pain went unheard and soon enough, he was being pushed onto the steps leading up to the sage.

The carnival lights never failed to blind Miles. As soon as his vision became clear, the golden kit immediately took notice of all the equipment present on stage. However, he didn't get to take in what he saw, for the next thing he knew the world had turned upside down. Literally. He didn't know what, but something had grabbed a hold of his ankles and he was now swinging in the air. Looking up, a pale face with a red grin smirked back at him. Miles gulped.

So this was one of the 'new performances' Bombini was talking about?

The kit looked down to the ground and decided it was a bad idea when he felt nauseous at how far up he really was. What if they dropped him? The child didn't see any nets or cushions to soften his (or the trapeze artists') fall. He could only wish for his safety for now.

After a few moments, his surroundings turned dark and a single spotlight shone down on the fox. As the performer started swinging back and forth, Miles's eyes scanned frantically around him. The audience had been quiet, waiting with anticipation for what might happen next. The swing was now going in full force. Not being used to such acts, the twin-tailed kit started to feel dizzy and he couldn't focus his vision as well. Then, as the swing reached it's height before swinging back down, the trapeze artist released the grip on his ankles.

Miles felt carried by the wind, and he felt his eyes shut close. For that moment that he went flying, his body turning and spinning in the air, he felt as if nobody had control of him. He felt as if there was no limit as to what he was capable of doing. He felt _free_. And it was a pleasant feeling. Sure, he felt fear for knowing that gravity might take him down, but it all seemed worth it.

A pair of hands grabbed his wrists and the feeling went out the door. Once again, he went swinging down, and the air that rushed past him and the world that became a blur as he opened his eyes became too much. He screamed. He screamed as much as his tiny lungs would permit him. His screams of fear went unheard as he was swung into the grip of another trapeze artist. The kit managed to notice that music had started playing, the usual carnival theme music. The audience could also be heard cheering on, laughing and clapping. The child was swung and let go once again, and he felt himself plummet to the ground. That's when he realized that there was no one to catch him from the air. Once again, he screamed in fear for his own life. His stomach made a flip and he shut his eyes tight, waiting for a painful impact. Instead…

Splash!

Everything around him went numb, silent. He opened his eyes, everything was blurry. His movements were weak; it felt like he was floating. The kit took a deep breath of air, but it wasn't air. It was water!

He was under water!

Quickly, hysterically, he flailed his arms, kicking wildly. His kicks seemed to bring him up so he kicked as fast as he could. Soon enough, his head arose from the menacing water. Miles gasped for air, coughing up water and trying not to sink back down. Once he wasn't struggling for air, he looked around. The pool was a good size, he had to admit. It was tall, allowing enough deepness so one could actually swim around. The walls were tall, so the kit could not see anything on the outside, but there were some steps on the side to get out. Swimming in a "doggy paddle" way, he reached the steps and pulled himself up. Once at the top, he started taking the steps to get down, but he lost his footing and slipped off. He hit the ground with a painful yelp, and the audience laughed. The twin-tailed fox, twin tails wet and limp hanging behind, blushed in embarrassment and attempted to cover himself from those evil eyes that stared at him in amusement. He wished this would be over soon.

_His wishes never came true._

Suddenly, a drop of….something….dropped onto his nose. Daring to look up, a huge bucket of that unidentifiable substance was held by the trapeze artists.

Oh no.

His eyes widened, and before he could do anything (such as running away) the whole bucket was dropped on the poor kit. He scrunched up his face, his large fox ears flat against his head. Cleaning the area around his eyes, he let a few tears slip from his eyes.

This was too much.

His whole body started shaking, the tears came in floods, the cries became louder.

All the audience did was laugh. As the child cried in pain, cried with no one to comfort him, they all laughed. The bag of popcorn flew, hit the kit, and stayed stuck to him because of the unknown substance. Soon enough, Miles was covered in various food items.

And he kept crying.

Ivo Bombini called off the show, called it a day. He seemed sick of the child's crying and ordered one of the trapeze artists to take him away. By the time Miles was taken by the scruff of his neck and off to his cage, his crying had softened to short sniffles.

Before being taken to his cage, however, he was dropped outside the main tent. The employee appeared with a hose in hand, and once she had it pointed to the fox, she called out to someone, and the water came. It was ice cold. But Miles let her spray him clean, glad that the gunk poured on him would be gone, and he sighed in relief as she finally finished. He was offered no towel, only the freezing night wind could dry him now. Taken by the neck again, he was dropped off at his cage. As the padlock clicked close, the nights work was officially over.

As usual, Miles curled up on the cold metal floor, rubbing his hands up and down his arms and legs in attempt to dry and warm himself up.

It never worked.

He closed his eyes. After that day's torment, he wanted to sleep.

Hopefully, he wouldn't wake up.

A rustling nearby startled the child. His head shot up so fast it was surprising nothing snapped. Nothing out of the ordinary was seen off into the distance. Only the darkness of the forest trees that surrounded the carnival. The twin-tailed fox let his gaze fall down, but he was met with another surprise. Sky blue eyes widened at the sight.

Two crispy pretzles lay nestled safely within a bed of napkins. They were _warm. _The steam could be seen. Miles's mouth watered.

_Could it be true?_

A tiny paw reached out for one. He picked it up, held it in front of his face. The aroma wavered into his nostrils.

_So good. _

Moment of truth. He brought it up to his mouth, and took a tiny bite from it. That single, warm bite instantly sent a warm chill throughout his body.

_Delicious!_

The kit hesitated no longer to sit down comfortably and start taking generous bites from his pretzel, taking time to savor each one. Soon enough, he went for the second one, and that one too went gone into the child's stomach. He wished he had more, but for the time being, he was satisfied.

Then the question came. _Where did the food come from? _Miles racked his brain for a possible answer, and only one thing came to his mind...

_A full cup of soda actually made its way to the stage and hit right to its target. Miles yelped in surprise and was soaked once again. He stared at the audience and when he regained his senses, he looked into the direction of the **dark hedgehog**._

_Only to see him scrunch up his face in disgust and walk out of the tent in the darkness._

...and for the first time in a _long_ time, Miles smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: I think I was on drugs when I wrote this, I don't know. XD I hope you guys like it, I've been typing for a while here. If you catch any grammar typoserrors please tell me. I'd like to thank _Shizuku Tsukishima749 _for pointing out some errors for me (I'll get on those right away! XD) and for others who have done the same.**

**Thank you all for reading! Comments and feedback is always welcome! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Before Note: HEY GUYS! Once again, I'm sorry for the late update, I actually had most of this chapter written down a week after my last update. However, now there is a newborn baby in the house that I must help to take care of. I never new being a sister would take most of my free time. :/ But i'm enjoying the experience (even though the little tyke won't let me sleep at night XD). Anywaaaays, here's the chapter you have all been waiting for! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Sonic the Hedgehog_ or any of it's characters (I simply own the plot of this story, I guess), they rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>When Miles woke up there seemed to be something out of place. The kit rubbed his eyes to get rid of the drowsy feeling and sat up. He stretched his arms and legs in a cat-like manner and looked around. The air was fresh-a clean type of fresh with the light scent of the damp forest ground—and the sun, which was barely peeking over the mountains, gave enough warmth to balance out the cool air. The child's gaze suddenly fell upon the used napkins full of crumbs that lay at his side. A smile formed at his lips, the pleasant memory of only a few hours earlier came as clear as water in his mind.<p>

And then, with a sudden shock, he immediately knew what was so odd about this morning.

He had not woken up with _fear_.

The feeling became so foreign, so alien, to him that he didn't know what to make of it.

A sudden, cool morning breeze blew by, attempting to take the napkins with it. The kit managed to catch them before they went into the sky.

However, something else was also about to blow away; Miles managed to catch that too.

It was a thin strip of paper, so thin that Miles held it as if it were an ancient artifact, for he thought it could crumble in his hands at any moment. He cautiously turned it over. There, in thin handwriting…

_You are not alone_

…was written.

It had taken some time for the fox to read it, for he had never been educated and he had to teach himself how to read using scraps of newspaper dug out from a trashcan. But now, as soon as he got a grasp of it, the words became clearer than ever.

He set the paper to the side.

And there came that spark of hope again. Could it be true? Could there be somebody that cares? Could there be somebody who shared his pain? Could there?

_You are not alone_

Alone in what?

Just then, a heart stopping, ice cold splash of water hit his back.

_Routine Routine Routine_

Miles did not dare scream, he only gasped as the water slid down his back, seeping into his skin. Eyes wide, he held himself, as he always did, and tried to conserve as much warmth as he could. He didn't look back, it was surely one of the employees that always woke him up anyways.

However, it didn't end there. A crack was heard in the air and the whip came down hard onto the child's back. Miles's breath caught in his throat, a new level of shock setting in. The stinging pain took moments to fade away, and when it did (and when the beating of his heart softened from his eardrums) he realized that it wasn't an employee.

It was Ivo Bombini.

Now, fear started to flow into his body, and he heard shuffling behind him; he started to tremble, not just because of the cold.

A few minutes must have gone by, Miles figured that Bombini must have left, for it was deadly silent. His trembling ceased and he looked over his shoulder. The ringmaster was gone. The kit let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and let his shoulders relax. The pain in his back wasn't as bad as his first day at the carnival, but the blood had dried and whenever he moved the scab would sting. The twin-tailed fox tried his best to ignore it. He managed a comfortable position and stared at the cage floor. There was only a small pile of blood, _his_ blood, and an area wet with water that was starting to dry.

And…

Once again, the kit's eyes widen with a new feeling of fear.

And then he understood.

The napkins, including the note, were _gone_.

It was true. He looked all over the cage, even peeked his head out between bars and searched the grounds. _Bombini must have taken them_.

* * *

><p>Strangely, Miles had been kept in the cage all day long, never taken out. Except once, to give him time to do his business, and to wash him down with the hose. Other than that, the only time he got contact with others was when he got delivered scraps of food for breakfast and dinner. It was odd how they made sure he stayed alive, considering many surely wanted him six feet under. Then again, he was the reason why they have so much business now. It made sense.<p>

Miles was absolutely perplexed. Was there not a show today? He saw the performers walking by, getting ready for their performances. Why had nobody come and taken him out for the show? He figured that it must have been Ivo's decision, but things were still mystifying to the kit.

And then the malevolent ringmaster. He was the only person that could make the child want to crawl into a hole and never come out with just a simple glare. Miles had been more terrified by this man than with any other person he had encountered in his life in the forest.

Just thinking about him made the fox's skin crawl.

Moments later, the carnival music started playing and the beginning announcements were heard in the distance. The twin-tailed fox looked at the main carnival tent, which was illuminated by various colorful lights.

Although he being left out confused him, it was better to take an optimistic view at the moment.

At least he wasn't in there, being humiliated and tortured.

With this thought in mind, Miles decided to curl up with his tails around him, and catch up on some needed sleep.

The kit did not know what made him wake up from a (rare) peaceful sleep. He was sure the show was long from over and everyone was asleep. However, he had no time to think about that because the next thing he knew, a series of footsteps was heard behind him.

Fearing that it might be one of the employees, or worse, Bombini, the child pretended not to notice. Moments of silence soon turned into minutes and Miles thought it was over. So he turned around.

He was certainly not expecting the sight that met him.

_It was him_.

He leaned against the cage, his crimson eyes firmly on the kit. Miles stood in shock. Never since he had seen him that time n the carnival, so apart from the crowd and so mysterious, had he ever thought that he would meet this figure face to face.

Silence.

Miles wanted to say something, wanted to move, but his muscles seemed to be frozen in place. He wasn't afraid, not at all. He was excited.

Seeing as the child would not move or say anything, the hedgehog decided to make the first step. His firm stare softened, eyes gentle and full of concern.

"Hello," his voice was deep, but not threatening. It gave the kit a sense of security for some reason.

"Hi, mister," Miles's polite reply was barely heard, for he never was one to speak up, he would rather stay quiet at times. The hedgehog nodded and then rummaged through the many pockets in his heavy coat. He then took out a bundle and took a few steps toward the fox.

"Are you hungry?" The bundle was outstretched to Miles, who identified the smell of a hotdog.

"Thank you, mister," the kit said, gaining more confidence toward the dark colored hedgehog, and finding the necessity to be as polite as possible. He took the hotdog and unwrapped it, the sight of warm food making his stomach groan in protest. He blushed in embarrassment, but the hedgehog only gave a small smile and encouraged him to eat. The kit took his time to savor the taste, making it last. Soon enough, only a napkin full of crumbs was left.. The hedgehog rummaged through his pockets again, and brought out a small bottle of orange juice, which Miles took gratefully. The kit had only had water to drink most of the time, so the new flavors were pleasant and a want for more lingered.

"I hope that helped filled you up," the hedgehog said, and the kit nodded happily. "What's your name, kid?"

The child hesitated at first, but he gave in. "Miles," he said, "but I never really liked it," he added in a whisper.

The hedgehog grinned in amusement, "Well, do you want to be called something else, a nickname perhaps?"

Miles thought about it. Sure, he never liked his name, it was one way others made fun of him. However, he never thought about wanting to be called something else. The idea didn't sound bad. The kit nodded enthusiastically.

The dark figure rubbed his chin with his hand in an inquisitive manner. "Hm, how about…" the hedgehog searched the fox, trying to find a fitting name, his eyes then fixed on his twin tails, "…Tails?

_Tails..._

"That's a great name!" the child got to his feet and jumped in the air, his namesakes waving in every direction. He then realized that most of the employees were sleeping and he should not wake them up, for his sake. He immediately settled down.

The hedgehog looked at the sky, and his brows furrowed. He looked back at the kit and gave him a reasuring look.

"I'm sorry, kid, I must leave soon."

The fox frowned.

"Hey! Don't worry, you'll see me soon. _I'm here to help_."

The child stared. _He's here to help_. A new feeling of hope blossomed within him. The hedgehog sat up straight and turned around, ready to leave. But he turned back, a grin plastered on his face, which confused the kit.

"By the way, call me Shadow."

And like that, he was gone in a flash.

_Literally_.

The fox stared, unable to comprehend what just happened. His hand had outsretched in order to call the hedgehog back...but then...

_Flash!_

**_Now, Tails looked foward to their next__ mee_**_**ting**._

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: Yes people! It's Shadow, we finally met him! Phew, this took a while. <strong>

**To be honest here, I originally planned to use Sonic, but there was something that made me pick Shadow. (Sonic will be here shortly *wink wink*) I'll explain in later chapters.**

**Well, I have to go to bed now, hope you guys enjoyed,**

**Thank you for reading, comments and feedback are always welcome! (Grammar corrections especially!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Before Note: ZOMG THIS MUST BE THE QUICKEST UPDATE IV'E MADE! :O**

**Anyways, this is weird. I mean, when I take long to update I usually have nothing to do; now that I have many projects and a lot of homework I update faster. .-. I have to memorize the Gettysburg Address for a speech contest, gah.**

**I'd like to thank all my reviewers and people who are following me or my story or both. ^w^ I luv you all, thank you for your support, its the only thing that keeps me from ditching this story. I am amazed that YOU haven't ditched this story since I take so long to update. I luv you all, I hope you stay with me for the chapters to come. :'D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Sonic the Hedgehog_ or any of its characters, they all rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>It has been two days since Tails' first meeting with Shadow. The kit has been anxious for the hedgehog to come back. Well, the only reason he hasn't been worrying is because food has been left for him during the night, with strict written instructions on the napkins to dispose of all trash so no one will find out about the midnight snacks. However, Bombini had seen and taken the napkins and note the day of the meeting.<p>

Now it seemed odd to the fox, who sat patiently in his cage, that although Ivo had surely suspected that something is up, he has not done anything concerning the matter. The last two days have been uncommonly normal. Nothing new. No new acts. Tails is now used to it all.

And that was a scary thought. Then again, the child has had even scarier thoughts.

The sun was now just starting to set. The sky gave a golden glow to the towering trees and the smell of fried foods from the snack stands soon became stronger. The sounds of early customers socializing was dimly heard, along with the laughs of children who were most likely running around with balloon animals or cotton candy in hand.

_Oh, how Tails longed to be free like them, with absolutely no worries for the day to come._

The sky darkened, signaling that the sun had set completely, and the rainbow lights of the carnival were turned on, glowing like the light at the end of the tunnel.

Show time.

As expected, the kit was taken out of his cage and sent to the main tent. By the time he arrived there, unfortunately, he was up next. The twin-tailed fox was rushed onto the stage.

Once the bright lights ceased from blinding his eyes, Tails then realized that today's show wouldn't be a normal show.

He gulped, and hoped that whoever was going to throw those knives had had plenty of practice.

* * *

><p>If Tails said that the last new performance, where he had been flying with the trapeze artists and dropped into a pool, had scared him, he now would take it all back and say it was nothing.<p>

This performance has absolutely, without a doubt outdone the other one.

The child screamed as he was spun as wild as a tornado after being tied from wrists and ankles to the rotating target where the knives would make their way to. An announcement was made, but Tails paid no attention as he was stopped after a few seconds, everything a blur as the world seemed to tilt.

He felt queasy.

Once his vision settled down he looked at the crowd, who held their breaths in anticipation. He caught a glimpse of something by the entrance and focused his sight on it.

It was Shadow! A feeling of joy made Tails want to jump in joy, however, he hid his excitement. The hedgehog leaned against the supporting pole as usual, but there was something different.

There was someone else with him. This figure also wore a coat that hid most of his body, but instead he wore a hood that hid his face. Both figures had their gaze fixed on the ground, hiding their identities. Who is that other person?

A shout made him notice a man a few yards in front of him polishing the already-gleaming knives with a rag. The band played a drum roll of suspense as the man took position with a knife in hand, showing it to the crowd. Blue eyes widened, realizing what would happen next. He struggled against the bindings on his limbs but it was no use, they were painstakingly tight.

A hard pound on the drum outdid all the other beats, and the knife was thrown right above the child's head. The only thing Tails could sense from the throw was a sharp whizzing sound that only his large, sensitive fox ears could catch. He shut his eyes tight as he felt three more knives hit right next to his head and in between his legs.

What really made the fox want to scream was when the man aimed shots as he was being spun. Surprisingly though, Tails felt no pain as the rush of wind filled his ears and realized that none of the shots hit him. The man was an expert at this.

Thank god.

As the target slowed to a stop, Tails ended upside down and he finally took notice of the cheering audience who screamed and applauded as if their lives depended on it. The kit still felt nauseated but this time he could handle it better.

Being the last act of the day, the audience soon left after a final announcement, leaving all the performers to clean up and call it a day. This being said, one of the clowns came up and untied the kit to take him to his cage. Today's show seemed to go by quick, or was it just him?

* * *

><p>As the lock clicked close and the nightly breeze blew by, all the events of the day fell into a big blur in the child's mind. He curled up on the floor, wrapping his tails around him, but he still trembled. Although the quarter moon shone brightly against the dark sky, the place still darkened around Tails as all the carnival lights were shut down. It all became deadly silent then, but the kit could not sleep. He sat up thinking about Shadow, and that other person. Hope started building up inside of him, and he realized that back there, when the knives were being thrown, he had felt fear, but not the type of fear he felt when he was afraid he was going to lose his life. No, he wasn't afraid of dying back there.<p>

Leaves rustled behind him as if blown by a gust of wind and the child looked over his shoulder.

He gasped in sudden shock.

"Hey kid."

_How does he do that? He just appears and disappears out of nowhere…_

"Shadow!" Tails sprang up on his feet and leaped toward his friend, his tails swishing back and forth.

"Nice to see you too. And before I forget, I brought someone that I want you to meet." The hedgehog smiled and stepped to the side to let the second figure walk up.

"How can you _possibly_ forget about me?" A new voice said, sounding playful and daring. Tails leaned in great curiosity to meet this new person.

The figure removed his hood revealing to be another hedgehog. He was easily compared to the dark one, but he was blue in color and had bright emerald eyes which shone in childlike amusement and demonstrated a great hunger for action. As soon as he locked gaze with curious sky blue eyes, his mouth curved into a playful grin.

"Hey kid, call me Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!" The newly introduced Sonic then proceeded to run laps around the child's cage in seconds, so fast that he was only a blue blur. The kit's eyes opened as wide as saucers.

"Wow! You run fast Sonic!"

"Showoff," Shadow muttered under his breath.

Sonic rushed to a stop right in front of his partner, and made a face of despair. "Shadow! That hurts right here, right here!" He pounded his chest, right over where his heart would be. "Why must you be so mean?" The cobalt one hid his face in pretend shame; the kit giggled at his antics. Shadow eventually gave in and smiled in amusement. He turned his attention to the child.

"I suppose you're hungry?"

Tails nodded immediately.

"Alright then. Sonic, stop dying over there and give the kid his food." Sonic glared and pouted, but digged into his pockets either way. He pulled out a few napkins and something wrapped in tin foil and gave it to the twin tailed fox. Tails gladly took it and thanked Sonic, who looked satisfied that the child was enjoying his choice in food.

"See? I told you he would like it." Sonic told the dark hedgehog, raising a brow.

"I don't know how those things are even edible," Shadow sighed in disgust.

"Hey, you insult the chilidog, you insult me. Got it?" Sonic glared once again. Shadow only rolled his eyes. Tails looked at one hedgehog to the other, not wanting to interfere in their…bickering? Although it was pretty amusing; the child had a hard time trying to hide his giggles.

Once the hedgehogs settled down and the kit had finished eating (Shadow took care of the trash), Tails mustered up the courage to ask them what he had been wondering since the day he received the pretzels as a midnight snack.

"_Are you going to get me out of here?"_

Shadow and Sonic looked at each other with a serious look. Finally, after a few moments, Shadow spoke up.

"Yes, our objective is to get you away from this place," he said slowly.

"That's right, but we can't just get you out of this hellhole as easy as it sounds, especially now since 'Egghead' knew something's up once he got a hold of the napkins," the blue speedster cut in, trailing off at the end.

_Egghead? Must be Bombini…._

_How does he know about that?_

Tails was once again perplexed, but he didn't ask. Whatever these two were planning they seemed like they knew what they were doing.

"Alright," the kit said in a faint whisper, focusing on the ground. He felt a hand lay on his shoulder and he looked up. Sonic met his gaze with eyes full of concern and a gentle smile.

"We _will _get you out. I know that it is hard having to suffer through the torture you have to put up with here, but can you try put up with it a little longer? Can you do that?" The hedgehog's eyes hardened in determination, while Shadow kept his eyes closed and arms crossed, but the fox could tell that he would be saying the same thing. The kit _knew _that he, they, were speaking the truth. They _will _get him out of this hell.

Tails nodded, tears dripping from his cheeks. He jumped up and pulled on both of the hedgehogs' arms.

_**The metal bars keeping him captive didn't stop him from holding his new friends in a tight embrace.**_

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: First Shadow and now Sonic! Wee! I don't frequently write Sonic's character so much, a few tips might be helpful :D Ok so I've been writing this chapter in a period of about two-three days, I hope my effort was worth it :)<strong>

**I don't know why but I feel really happy! :DDD Can you notice? :O**

_**Reviews and comments are always welcome! **_


	7. Chapter 7

**Before Note: Hey guys! Man today was my last day of eighth grade; we had a lot of activities during the week! :D lol I can't believe I'm starting my first year of highschool next season! Gah I'm scared and nervous omg**

**Anyways, I worked on this throughout the week, I had some writers block so it was sort of difficult, and I'm not so proud of this chapter, but I got it done. The REAL adventure(conflict) starts after this! ;D hehe well even though I'm on summer vacation I have a big responsibility on helping take care of my little bro (and since I qualify or whatever for the Honors English class for my first year of highschool I need to work on a book report during this time too XPXP) but my updates will still be quicker now (I hope XP) **

**For all my reviewers/people who fav and follow, once again, I thank you ALL for being so supportive, I really appreciate it and I hope my writing skills improve too**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Sonic the Hedgehog_ or any of its characters. They all rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>It looked like Bombini was<strong> mad<strong>.

Well, if he wasn't he wouldn't be beating his employee half to death, now, would he?

Tails watched impassively from his cage as the ringmaster threw a performer into a pile of crates. The round man has been engaging into fits of anger for a while now, always targeting any employee in close range to let off steam. The kit had no idea what had been causing this torment, and he felt some empathy for the poor employees that have to go through that torture on the inside. But even they treat him as bad as they are treated themselves, so he guessed it wasn't that bad. And then a new idea came to mind:

Why do the employees, who are treated so unjustly by Ivo, still remain so loyal to said ringmaster?

Tails was pretty sure those employees had the power to leave at any time at their own will. Ever since the fox crossed paths with this hell everything made little sense. It was like a bad dream, a nightmare, where you can't seem to hold on or get away from anything and you could wake up at any moment and feel that sudden wave of relief once the realization that the torment is over sinks in.

_The child wants to wake up so badly._

Tails sat back in his cage, pondering the thoughts that crossed his mind. However, a loud crash disrupted the sudden calmness in the air. The kit snapped his head up and at the distance could be seen a performer lying dazed in a pile of equipment. Bombini could be seen stomping off with his face so red and so angry that steam could have been coming out of his ears. The child stared curiously, glad that whatever has been making the ringmaster so irritated, had nothing to do with him. The round man hasn't even thought about the fox, not checking on the child as he usually does. Then again, Tails has been thinking back on the day that Ivo discovered the napkins. Could that incident have caused something else than just the pain of a whip?

He'd rather not think of it anymore.

For some odd reason, there would be no show that night. It was like a day off, if you could really call it that. The round man must really be up in his troubles to go as far as giving a day off. Also, not much attention has been given to the kit, and sometimes they would forget to even give him a meal when it was usually given. The meals might be gunk, but it was a meal nonetheless. Thankfully, though, he got at least one meal per day, that, and Shadow and Sonic would always bring him something during the night, even if they didn't stay long.

Shadow and Sonic…

It was so odd to the child, who had no way of trusting someone easily because of the way he was treated, that he gave those two hedgehogs all the trust he had without a second thought. Those two had made blossom the hope within him that he thought he had lost completely. Was that what it meant to have true friends? People you can _trust_?

He supposed so.

* * *

><p>"Ivo has been raging all over the carnival lately, I don't know why; it's starting to worry me," the kit explained to the two hedgehogs, trailing off in thoughtfulness.<p>

The night seemed better than the others. A full moon shone brightly against a cloudless, dark sky filled with shining stars. The nightly breeze was cold, but not freezing cold, it was the type of breeze where it's cool and comfortably refreshing. Although the carnival lights were off, the tents and other game and food stands easily contrasted against the surrounding forest. Sonic stayed at a distance from the cage, walking around and kicking rocks until they landed in a place where they couldn't be located anymore now and then because he couldn't keep still, it was part of his character. However, the child knew he was listening either way. Shadow leaned against one of the cage's bars, listening intently to the kit's information; said fox sat in his cage, on his knees and carefully informing the cloaked hedgehogs of some of the current carnival news.

"That's not a surprise; you should never test that man's patience," Sonic said, half amused, yet his eyes flashed with seriousness and possible anger, the kit noted, as he kicked a stone so hard it went flying and got lost in the nearby bushes.

Shadow said nothing, keeping his eyes closed as if in deep thought, arms crossed over his chest, a habit Tails picked up on whenever the dark one was focused on a certain subject. There was a sudden silence, and the twin-tailed fox looked at both hedgehogs, seeing if either would say something. After no word came from either, the child sat in a more comfortable position and was about to start speaking, but the dark one beat him to it.

"It's time to take action."

The blue speedster stopped and looked at him with a face of surprise, but the black hedgehog only gave him a stern glare, making the cobalt one sigh and nod. Crimson orbs met with blue ones.

"To be honest, we can actually get you out of here very easily, easier than you think," Shadow said. Tails stared in confusion. If what he said was true, then what was stopping them? "However," the dark one continued as he stood straight and looked the kit in the eye, "the ringmaster is an intelligent man."

"Believe it or not."

Shadow ignored the blue one's comment. "He probably already knows what we are up to, he always has." He trailed of, a grave tone in his voice. The fox's heart skipped a beat; just thinking of the ringmaster being able to do something horrible frightened him.

"You see, we have this sort of…history…with the Egghead," Sonic casually put in, as if telling an old story, "and-"

"That history has no importance in this current situation," the black hedgehog snapped, as harshly as a whip, on impulse. He had turned his head immediately at the cobalt one's direction so fast it was surprising his neck didn't crack. His eyes were hard and it seemed as if he could have been angry. Shadow's intense glare had no effect on Sonic, who only looked back concerned.

Tails was stunned. Never had he seen his dark colored friend react so…so… harshly. Never had he heard his voice so full of venom. The kit had gotten used to Shadow's natural calmness that this sudden action had really surprised him, and he too felt concerned, but now things were more confusing.

_History…with Bombini?_

So they had already had an encounter with the round man? Well, it was obvious now that that was true. The fox could only imagine what could have happened before. And yet, he couldn't think of any possible scenario. Judging by Shadow's reaction, it probably wasn't pretty. It dawned to him that he now had understood these two a bit more as he came to a reasonable conclusion. It seemed clearer now that their lives mustn't have been all that easy either. That they had suffered too.

_Just like Miles._

It made sense now.

Tails felt a bigger concern for his friends, and he was absolutely curious as to what had happened in the past. However, he thought it wise to not open an old wound. Instead, he reached over and laid a hand on the dark one's shoulder. The hedgehog looked back at him, now calm and over his sudden reaction. The child gave him a sad, yet reassuring smile. Shadow couldn't help but give a chuckle and ruffle the kid's bangs.

The tension in the air was now gone.

Sonic grinned in the background, his playful nature returning and showing in his gleaming eyes. After a moment, the conversation went back to normal, as if the sudden event had not taken place.

"The point of the matter is, even if we get you out, there is a strong chance that Ivo will soon be on our trail, and we don't want to risk that," the hedgehog stated, "so we need time to try and outsmart him…"

"And hopefully, bring him down to stop this madness," Sonic finished.

That was when Tails realized how much his two friends were risking themselves, risking their lives.

For him. For the cruelty that has taken place in the carnival of hell.

He didn't want them to be hurt or worse because of him. No, he couldn't let that happen. He understood what they were trying to say to him now.

The child got to his feet and gave a nervous smile. Sonic and Shadow looked at him blankly, unaware of the kit's next statement. He focused on the main idea that had and **will** keep him moving since the day he met Shadow.

"_What do I need to do?"_

He focused on hope.

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed and I know this was a slow chapter, ugh I need to get focusing more on this now . Don't worry, now that I have more time I'll put more work into this! <strong>

**Till next time!**

**Comments and feedback is always welcome! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Before Note: Hey guys! Iv'e been having a busy time lately but things are settling down. And now I've been finding that I have free time during the night when my mom and the baby are asleep so I've been typing this up at 1 am these past few nights. It has been, for some reason, extremely hard for me to write anything good these days so I've been frustrated about this a lot. I hope this chapter came out to your liking because I've been re-writing and re-writing a lot! **

**As always, I thank all my reviewers for all their support and to all the people who fav/follow. Know that you are appreciated! :D**

**Disclaimer: _Sonic the Hedgehog _and all it's characters rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.**

* * *

><p>Shadow, Sonic, and Tails came to a simple agreement. They had not yet a plan, so that was the first thing they needed to work on. The hedgehogs had carefully explained to the kit that he needed to be aware of his surroundings, to pick up on anything out of place yet making it seem as if he wasn't doing anything suspicious.<p>

He was basically going to do some spy work.

However, his friends had strictly told him that he could absolutely not go sneaking around where he could get caught. Then, all their work would have been blown out the window.

Yet, Tails felt he was capable of doing more than just spy work. He knew that Sonic and Shadow wanted to keep him as safe as possible, and he appreciated their protective concern for him. They trusted him and he trusted them. He was like their little brother for god's sake! He remembered the feeling of happiness and joy he got every time they came to see him. He looked back on how close they had gotten in such little time.

Especially with Shadow. Tails held a great respect for the dark hedgehog, the one who first gave him a feeling of hope. Sonic was also a close friend, he always made Tails feel happy whenever the day had brought him down, but Shadow just seemed to give off a feeling of _understanding_.

And that made the fox respect him even more.

He felt awful for going into something as risky as this.

He hoped they forgave him, but this was a great opportunity…

Tiny fingers desperately attempted to reach the metal ring that held his only escape.

_The key to his cage._

His fingertips were only _centimeters_ away from their desired destination. Tails leaned out as much as he could, sweat dripping from his forehead. This was a golden chance that not even the kit himself could believe.

He was so_ close_.

The performer that locked him up at the end of the day had accidently dropped the key as he left.

And he didn't even notice!

He had waited a while to make sure the performer had absolutely not noticed the missing key. The carnival was dead quiet and so he saw this as his chance. The fox squeezed himself as much as he was capable of in between the metal bars, reaching for the ground. This wasn't as difficult as expected because there was little distance between the floor and the cage. He gave one last reach…

_Yes!_

The kit grinned in triumph as his fingers wrapped around the ring. Using his free hand, he pulled himself up. He couldn't believe it! He actually had the key! He went to the lock, but stopped in mid step.

What would he do? Where would he go?

Sonic and Shadow weren't there. Not for that night at least. That meant that he had nowhere to go, if he did try to escape, he would surely get lost in the forest. And if Bombini sent people to look for him he wouldn't stand a chance. So he couldn't escape. What else could he do? He could go looking around the carnival. But what if he woke someone up? What if he got caught?

Tails crossed his arms (in a very Shadow-like manner) and pouted in frustration. He had the key to his cage, but he couldn't do anything! Much less escape!

He sat down, giving a shudder at the sudden coldness. A burning pain made itself present in his chest, maybe from the nervousness. He thought over a new idea.

Should he keep the key, or throw it on the ground again as if he hadn't touched it?

If he kept it, he may become a suspicious suspect, or maybe the performer would think he dropped it somewhere else. Even forget about it. That was wishful thinking. If he dropped it on the ground, nothing would happen; someone would just find it and be like 'Oh, it seems it was accidently dropped here'. Although, it could be questioned on why it didn't seem as the kit tried to get it, it WAS the key to HIS cage after all.

_This wasn't fair!_

Tails got up and looked around him, trying to formulate any plan of escape. The only thing he saw were forest trees, leading into the darkness. No, he couldn't escape like this. If only Shadow and Sonic were there…

But they weren't, and he had to understand that.

He still kept scanning the area, searching for every little thing.

And that's when he saw it.

It was hidden well, and he was surprised that he spotted it in such darkness. But he saw it.

A small, wooden building, like some sort of shack. It was located between a few trees, and it looked as if it hadn't been opened in a while. Tails looked at the key in his hand, and then at the crude building. It stood there, standing out and contrasting against the dark trees. The burning sensation came back in his chest. This was an opportunity. He made up his mind.

The door creaked a bit, but not too loud. Tails left the key under the cage and looked around, the fear of getting caught already inside him, shuddering at the sudden coldness in the air. He took his first few steps toward the small building. It seemed so far away and he became desperate, quickening his steps. His destination got closer and closer, yet the fear also grew within him, and he started to regret the idea of sneaking out of his cage. He felt as if anything would be able to pop out and attack him at any moment.

Tails was surprised to find himself already in front of the building. He shook of his nerves and laid his hand on the moldy, wooden door, ready to push it open. His eyes closed shut, afraid of what may lay inside and he mustered up the strength to push the door open. He heard a sickening creak and opened his eyes.

A…..Supply room?

Blue eyes scanned around the small space, the dim moonlight providing just enough light to see what was in front of him; his shadow grew big at the far end wall. Old looking performance props such as hoops and instruments were stacked all around, and cardboard boxes were aligned in a bunch against the wall. The child cautiously stepped inside, trying to find anything else that could aid his faint curiosity. He noticed a few papers tacked onto the wall.

A cough escaped his lips as a small puff of dust blew in his face as he moved a few boxes to use as steps. Once done, he hopped on and reached for one of the papers. He pulled it off and immediately noticed how thin and faded it was.

It was part of a newspaper, a headline evident on the top. The low light didn't help in trying to interpret the faded print. Frustrated, he grabbed another paper from the wall. This one was easier to read. After a moment, Tails managed to read the headline.

_Popular Freak Show at Carnevale di Gloria _

That was all he managed to read. He felt his stomach twist as a he suddenly got a feeling about what this was about. He hoped he was far from right. It just couldn't be.

He nervously plucked another paper.

This one had a picture on it.

Blue eyes widened in shock, and maybe in fear, too.

Shadow….

The kit stumbled back, falling off the boxes and landing on his bottom.

It couldn't be! Could it?

He glanced back at the picture.

It was definitely Shadow. It was only in black and white but his dark fur and gleaming eyes were unmistakable. He looked worn down, many wounds evident on his frail looking body. Was this what the dark hedgehog wanted to hide so badly? His pained expression came back to him when Sonic had mentioned this…Past.

The fox then realized that Shadow had been just like him. No wonder the kit always felt a wave of understanding from him. He didn't want the child to suffer the same fate he did.

Tails stood up, comprehending what he had just discovered. However, a crumpled piece of paper came in his way. With new curiosity, he picked it up and smoothed it out as carefully as he could. Another newspaper article….

_Carnival Freak Escapes the Carnival, Many Were Injured_

What?

_Many Were Injured_?

What had happened?

The child blinked his eyes in confusion. There was more to this situation than it seemed. He tightened his fists in frustration as the article was faded and crumpled, and so, unreadable.

Should he ask his two friends about this? Or should he keep it to his self? They were surely going to have a shock if they found out he put himself in risk of getting caught. Would they mind much? He had promised them that he wouldn't make risky moves. Would he be violating the trust they had to each other?

The thought gave him fear. No, he didn't want that. But wouldn't it be the same if they found out that he didn't tell them about it?

The child shook his head. What should he do?

Tails jumped when he heard the early birds chirping loudly as they did every morning.

…

Morning!

The kit snapped his head around. Sure enough, the sun was just barely showing up over the forest.

Had he been there all night?

That didn't matter now; he needed to get back in the cage before anyone came to check on him. He stuffed the crumpled newspaper in his shoe and ran out the door, shutting it behind him.

His steps were quick but the cage didn't seem to get closer. He pushed himself further and it felt as if his feet weren't even touching the ground. He looked down.

His feet _were not_ touching the ground!

That's when he noticed that his tails were spinning extremely fast, like a helicopter, behind him.

He was flying!

The fox didn't believe it, what was he doing?

His tails slowed down and he met the ground, stumbling a bit, but he finally arrived at the cage. He grabbed the key and locked himself inside, throwing it out after that. He finally decided it wasn't a good idea to keep it.

He took a few breaths as he sat down in exhaustion. He flew! How did it happen? Did spinning his tails propel him up? Tails crouched and attempted to spin his tails the same way again.

Only to have them twist up painfully.

He had done it unconsciously, so what were the chances of it happening again? The kit sighed, so much had happened. This was something that he had to tell Sonic and Shadow about.

He gasped.

He reached for the paper in his shoe, but decided to leave it there in the meantime.

How was he supposed to tell them about this flying incident when he didn't want to tell them about the shack?

The thoughts invaded his mind, and his gut told him to tell them the truth. They would understand.

He hoped.

No. They _would_ understand. They had gone through this same situation too, so they would.

The kit sighed as the sunlight hit a side of his body, giving him a much needed warmth. He tried again to spin his tails in a manner that they would not twist together and hurt, but it didn't work. Officially giving up on that for the moment, he looked at the key he had thrown out at a distance.

_Had he done the right thing?_

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: I feel that this chapter is longer than the other ones... Anyways, first off, I always try to fix typos and spelling errors when I find them but I will do all editing when this story is finished. Just for the people that point them out don't worry! I will fix them.<strong>

**Ok, well I don't know what to think of this chapter, I've been losing inspiration but I figured that if I work on it bit by bit I could get it done. **

**Hope you enjoyed and comments and feedback is ALWAYS welcome and appreciated. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok guys, I know that I promised frequent updates but I had no idea I would be busy even before school started. After my last update I was finally able to check out a book I needed for a reading assignment and I spent two weeks reading it (A Tale of Two Cities) and I'm still working on the assignments (I'm starting to regret taking Honors English, oh well). Other than that I have had major writers block on how to finish this story so I decided to take a breather.**

**I have had many ideas on how to finish this but I don't know if you guys would like it or not its very tough. So to take care of that if you like just message me on any ideas you may have on the ending. YES! ENDING! This story should be coming to an end in the next or two chapters! I would REALLY REALLY appreciate it if you guys can help (help is needed in any situation right?) since I want YOU guys to enjoy the story. **

**This note will be replaced by the actual chapter when it gets typed up, I hope I could get it up before school starts. Once again if you can give any ideas just give me a message, it would REALLY be appreciated! I don't want to leave this story unfinished!**

**Thank You For Reading! **

**- Tsuki-shining09**


	10. Chapter 10

**Before Note: Hey guys! I REALLY did not mean for this chapter to be so incredibly late! I was just busy, I moved, with no interent for 2 weeks, and I had to get used to my first time in high school (I feel like everyone is an idiot but oh well at least I have my friends). Its just life, you understand , right?**

**The good news is I saved up during the summer for a laptop (I luv it!) meaning I will have no excuse to being lazy because once I install a word processing program I can write fanfics in my comfy cozy bed. Its starting to get cold and I cant stand sitting at the living room desktop!**

**Other than that, we have reached the final chapter! I like how it came out but I feel that the writing style or simply the tone is completely different than how it started off. Makes me feel like I did something wrong, so you guys can give me some feedback on that (please?) It will totally be appreciated because this is my first story I post and I aim to improve!**

**Enough with the babbling, ON WITH THE CHAPTER! (There are some cliche parts in here, I tried to avoid them I really did!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own_ Sonic the Hedgehog _ or any of its characters, they all rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team. (I own the plot, at least)**

* * *

><p>The stars shone brighter than ever, thats what the fox thought at least. Shadow and Sonic were there for another night, and all three of them were appreciating the rare beauty the night had bought them. This is what Tails loved the most: just sitting among someone else, without being hurt or insulted, and having a comfortable silence.<p>

"What's that in your shoe, Tails?" Shadow asked suddenly, taking notice of the bunched up item the kit had hidden.

Tails stiffened, and both hedgehogs looked at him curiously. He gulped and tried to hide his foot from view. It would do no good.

To late to come up with an excuse now.

After a few moments filled with distress, and the expectant looks of the hedgehogs, the kit sighed in defeat, pulling out the crumpled paper.

He told them how he had managed to sneak out that night. He told them about the key, the shack, the newspapers, so faded and fragile, and how he had for one moment been able to lift himself from the ground. He even tried to demonstrate, only to have his tails twist up and make him yelp in pain. The hedgehogs listened to him all the way through, surprise and disbelief clearly written on their faces. He held up the newspaper, and Shadow's eyes widened and he became stiff. It hurt Tails to see him like that, all vulnerable. What else could he do?

Shadow didn't say a word.

He didn't need to say anything. No one needed to say anything. What could they say that would be fitting at the moment?

Sonic put a hand on his friend's shoulder, an attempt to break the dark one from his trance. It seemed to work, at least, Shadow had relaxed his posture, his gaze downward. He put a hand on his jacket sleeve and started to take it off. The kit's eyes widened.

The scars were grotesque. Only damaged skin was visible where the marks were, the fur gone as if ripped off. It contrasted neatly with the dark fur. The fox was sure that the wounds on his own back looked like that too.

Tails didn't know what to say. He looked away, the realization of seeing Shadow in that state right in front of him setting in. Shadow put his jacket back on, and the old wounds seemed to never have been seen.

What had they done to deserve this?

The question had been thought countless times in the child's head, yet it was never answered and he kept wondering.

Why? Why? Why?

It was always the same, nothing changed, there was always that little ray of hope that would always be thrown in the trash. But now, he had a great amount of hope that lay in his friends' hands. Would that hope be destroyed also? They had gotten this far, hadn't they? Tails shook the thought off and focused on the current situation.

Shadow, who had previously been wondering into his own personal thoughts, spoke up.

"Tails, have you ever wondered why people treat you—treat us—the way they do?" Each word was spoken softly, carefully, and the fox looked at him in wonder, nodding 'yes'. "Do you have any idea of what drives people to act that way?" Crimson eyes gazed into blue ones, a definite feeling of pain and torment present within them.

"Because," the child hesitated, making sure of his answer, "We look different than everyone else?"

"That's right," the dark one looked up to the moon and crossed his arms, but he kept on speaking, "People are afraid of change, they are afraid of something being different than what they are used to seeing. They can't tolerate it and it drives them to the desire of getting rid of it, weakening it, so that that fear can go away. That's all there is to it: they are afraid. The only way they can act upon that is by trying to make us suffer because it makes them feel like they have control."

"Sometimes, when society can't change something that just _is_, they try to eliminate it." Sonic added softly, his gaze downward.

Silence.

The kit thought the information over, and looked at his two friends. He had never seen them so worn out and so distressed before. It was as if they were fighting an endless war with the world, and the possibilities couldn't be too far off. He didn't like the feeling at all.

"Then society must be pretty stupid, right?" The child said with a weak smile, and the hedgehogs looked at him curiously. "If people judge others just by appearance, then they would never know what that person is really like." He looked back at his twin tails. "I have two tails when others only have one, but if I had been born with just one, wouldn't I still be the same person?" His soft voice got shaky, a few tears rolled down his cheeks, yet he still had that weak smile on. "If I was born with just one, would people still treat me the same way they do today? Does appearance really mark how you really are?"

The tears didn't stop, the sniffles turned into soft sobs; the cobalt one had reached into the cage and pulled the tiny body close, ignoring the meal bars that were in the way. He was only a child, who with only a few years of life, had seen things that he wasn't suppose to see, had suffered the torment of being alone, struggled to survive. He was growing up too fast, the carefree privileges and pure innocence of childhood far from his reach.

It wasn't fair.

"Don't cry," Sonic tried to soothe the kit, and he lowered himself a bit to be at eye level with him, "You're right, society is pretty stupid, aren't they?" He gave a playful grin, and the fox's smile reached his eyes. "We don't need to worry about what they think, what good would that do?"

Shadow came up, and wiped the child's tears away with his sleeve. The gesture itself was enough to make Tails smile brightly, in hope. The fox stopped crying. Yes, that was all he ever wanted, what he _needed_, to keep him looking forward to the days to come.

"_My, my, my. What a beautiful scene!" _

Surprise. Panic. Fear.

The ringmaster revealed himself slowly, slithering out of the nightly shadows like a sleek beast. At last he came into full view, the golden buttons on his white suit glimmering in the moonlight.

Everyone went stiff, the fear flowing into each of them. What could they possibly do now? What were the man's intentions now that he made his presence known?

"Look at you, Shadow, its been such a long time! And what about you, Sonic? I was hoping you would at least care enough to visit." The sarcastic tone made the hedgehogs shiver.

"Since when have you known that we have been here?" Shadow asked on impulse. Ivo's grin grew wider that it almost reached the sides of his face, it seemed.

"Why, from the very beginning of course! Don't think I haven't noticed the food crumbs left behind every night. And don't think I didn't see you sneak of that one night, runt. _You were wise enough to go back to the cage_." The dark one gritted his teeth, as if expecting that type of response.

"If you had been making any plans of leaving with that freak there," he pointed a finger at Tails, glaring at him, "Then I'm sorry to say, that won't be possible."

What happened next was absolutely unexpected.

A group of figures jumped into the scene, their speed and the darkness made them unidentifiable at first. Shadow and Sonic barely had time to respond. Tails screamed, but that did little to help his friends. The performers had delivered hard blows to both hedgehogs, sending them flying and hitting the ground with great impact. During that time, the ringmaster had unlocked the cage and the kit had not noticed until he felt his tails being pulled harshly. He was soon pulled out of the cage, the struggling useless, and being carried away.

"Stop right there!" Tails heard someone shout. The only thing he took notice of was a rush of wind and a startled yell. The grip on his tails loosened and he felt himself fall to the ground.

But he _didn't_ hit the ground.

Sonic had caught him and ran back to a safe distance with his super speed. He put the child down, who was dumfounded by what had just occurred. At a distance, he saw the round man's body struggling to get up and a victorious Shadow beside him, fighting off the minions who were enraged to see their boss hurt.

"Tails, watch out!" The cobalt one pulled the kit by the shoulders and out of the way. One of the performers came crashing down with a knife where Tails had been seconds before. Blue orbs widened. The enemy wasn't about to give up just yet. The fox dodged the next slash the performer gave with the knife. Nothing terrified Tails more at the moment than the sadistic smile the enemy was showing, and the wild eyes filled with bloodlust and energy. With each slash the kit stumbled back and he finally lost his balance. He fell back and scurried away as fast as possible. He tried to get himself on his feet, but when he tried, the knife would come crashing down and he had to push himself away to dodge it.

He wouldn't be able to keep it up for long.

Another slash came his way. The fox scurried back but the performer had gripped him by the leg and pulled him under his own body, preventing any escape.

No. No. No. _**No!**_

Tails shielded himself with his arms, hoping that would do some good, and gasped from the heavy weight on him. His eyes were shut tight, waiting for the painful impact.

But he felt no pain…and the heavy weight had been lifted off him.

He opened his eyes slowly, and moved his arms away from his face. Yet, he wished he hadn't.

The first thing he saw was blood, dripping down to the ground like a thick rainfall, making small puddles on the dirt. Then, the knife dropped to the ground, stained a maroon red and barely making a sound. The figure dropped to his knees, gripping his left shoulder in pain and hissing under his breath.

_Shadow…_

Tails wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He so desperately wanted to look away, but the dripping blood, the aggravating tension, and the gasps of pain had him petrified at the spot.

The performer had a slight expression of surprise on his face, but he quickly recovered himself and snatched the weapon from the ground, aiming to finish what he had started. Sonic, who had also been horrified by the scene, put himself in between his friend and the enemy, ready for any possible fight that was to come. However, Ivo Bombini held back his employee with his arm, his usual grin ever so present.

"I'll finish this," he said gravely, "This time, _f_or _good_."

The ringmaster's trusty whip was soon pulled out, and he gave the air a few slashes before he started to slowly take steps toward his target. The kit got to his feet and hurried over to Shadow's side. The hedgehog mustered up the strength to stand up straight and take a defensive stance, as if his wound was not giving him any trouble at all.

"My Shadow, what a strong thing you are," Ivo narrowed his eyes, "A bit _too_ strong, don't you think?"

"That was your own mistake, and you know it," the dark one said through gritted teeth. The child had no idea what to do; he knew it didn't involve him at the moment and he had no intention of interfering so he decided to stay put. Sonic moved next to him, also not wanting to interfere, but preparing himself for anything that might happen. Even most of the other performers who had attacked them were waiting impatiently as to what would occur next. Was this personal now? Could he even be of _any_ help?

The whip slashed the air harshly.

"You should be glad, you were such a weak one, if it weren't for me than you would have died." The round man said mockingly.

Shadow glared. "The only reason you cared if I lived or died was because I was the only thing keeping your business running," for just a brief second, the hedgehog's expression changed to one of somber, and it went back to one of distaste, "I would rather much have died then."

Another crack of the whip.

Bombini now stood a few inches away from the dark hedgehog. The man waited for any type of response from him, but as nothing happened, he got impatient and decided to make the first move.

Tails wasn't sure if Shadow saw it coming or not, but what he was sure of was that he must have felt a great, burning pain. The kit had flinched when the leather whip had made contact to the hedgehog's side, leaving a thin trail of blood behind, and Sonic had too.

Shadow took a step back, not letting a single cry out, although he looked like he wanted to.

"How did it feel, Shadow, when you _hurt_ all of those people? Hm?"

_Snap!_

"You _destroyed_ everything around you."

_Snap!_

"You're a _monster_, and you know it."

_Snap! Snap!_

"_They were innocent."_

"**No they weren't!"**

This time, the dark one had let the whip wrap around his arm, and he pulled it with much force that it escaped from the ringmaster's hands. Ivo was shocked to say the least. He had not expected such an impulsive reaction from his opponent at that moment. Shadow tossed the whip aside and fully faced the ringmaster.

Ivo found himself defenseless, and for once, a look of pure fear was plastered across his face. His panic was emitted through his twitching fingers, and he took a few steps back.

What he did was surprising.

He ran away.

But he didn't disappear from view. He ran a good distance away, stopped, and turned back. He spread out his arms and a few of his trusty minions came up behind him out of the darkness.

And more.

_And more._

Clowns. Trapeze artists. Musicians. _Everybody_.

Why were there so many?

Even if the trio could handle a few of them, they wouldn't be able to handle that large group. They realized how much trouble they were about to face. How were they going to get out of this one?

"Run," Sonic whispered enough for the dark hedgehog and fox to hear, "We need to run. Now!"

They crowd of performers started to rush in their direction. Sonic grabbed Tails' wrist and pushed Shadow up and going; they headed into the thick forest with no idea of where to go.

They just had to get away.

Sonic was good at dodging bushes and trees, or whatever got in their way in the darkness. Shadow was struggling to keep up, the wound aching with each step he took. Tails pulled on his hand to motivate him to go faster. The footsteps of their eager enemies were not too far behind. The cobalt one was desperately trying to push the other two on, being the fastest of the group, but it simply couldn't be done in the state they were in. They were now panting in exhaustion, but they kept going on. The few moments that went by felt like hours and they had significantly slowed down. The wind felt like ice as it brushed against their skin, yet they didn't mind at the moment.

They did mind, however, when they sensed movement a distance in front of them.

The trio halted in their step, very much alert. The sounds became clearer as the time passed and soon enough, a group of enemies made themselves seen. _How did they get ahead? _Both fox and hedgehogs managed to move away from the incoming blows that were being thrown their way. Sonic moved to the right while Shadow and Tails moved to the left. The dark one quickly pulled the kit away from a near kick to the head and they stumbled in attempt to regain balance. Fearing that more attacks were to come, they both ran into a thick mass of trees.

Once again they were running, and the child looked back to notice the absence of their friend.

"What about Sonic?" Tails managed to get out in between tired gasps. His tiny legs ached but he knew he had to keep going on.

"He can manage himself," Shadow said, also in tired breaths, but he seemed confident about his answer.

They ducked from braches and skipped over fallen trees but they both knew they were reaching their limit. Before they knew it, their feet had taken them to a clearing, but they had to stop.

They had reached the edge of a cliff!

The kit would surely have ran off the edge if the dark one hadn't stopped him a few steps back. Tails gave a small peek to see what lay at the bottom and he became terrified at how high up they were, an unidentifiable piece of land far beneath.

What would they do now?

"Did you think you would have been able to escape that easily?"

The two figures jumped at the sudden presence. Both heads turned quickly and became wide eyed.

Bombini stood there once again, a confident look on his face, his usual whip at hand.

Tails was terrified. How would they escape this? They were in between a dangerous man and a dangerous high place. Both ensured injury and death. The kit was starting to panic. Both he and his friends had gotten so far, it just couldn't end here.

It just couldn't!

"Did you really think you could win over me that easily?"

The ringmaster quickly took steps toward his two targets who stayed still with no form of escape at the moment. He raised his arm ready to take action, but what happened next was simply unimaginable.

Shadow leapt forward, attempting to somehow push Ivo away so that they had enough time to flee. However, the round man had the strength enough to push him back. The hedgehog stumbled dangerously close to the cliff's edge, and he lost his balance, falling backwards and barely managing to grip the outstretched whip. Bombini had taken no notice of this, so he had kept a firm grip on his weapon and was pulled too as Shadow fell.

Both of them fell off.

And Tails stared, but reacted quickly, and did what he thought was the most stupid and idiotic thing he could have done at the moment.

He jumped off after them.

After the realization of what he had done pummeled over him like an avalanche of bricks, he shut his eyes in deep fear. He could've said that his insides felt like they were jumbling all over the place or that his heart was beating a mile a minute, but he didn't.

He didn't feel anything or hear anything besides the air sliding past him and the wind hitting his ears. Something grabbed his hand and he was afraid, but he soon realized it was Shadow when he opened his eyes just a bit. He couldn't tell how exactly he had reached his falling friend, but he was glad of it.

Ivo..he fell off too. Did that mean that he was...

_Gone?_

All they were waiting for now was the impact of the ground.

_This was the end!_

Tails felt themselves stop, but they didn't hit or land on anything. He now felt like he was carrying a heavy weight, but he didn't feel any form of matter around him, at all.

"Tails!" He heard Shadow shout from below him. The child opened his eyes and looked around him. They were still in midair, but….

They were going _up_?

He desperately looked at Shadow below him, who looked up with a face of pure shock.

"You're…Flying!"

_What!?_

The fox looked behind him, and sure enough, his twin tails were spinning behind him, so powerful that it lifted both of them up, and spinning so fast that they were nearly invisible.

"No way!" The flying fox exclaimed with as much shock Shadow had. He didn't even know how he was doing it.

He was simply doing it. Flying.

The silent trip up only lasted a few seconds until they reached the cliff's edge, where they had previously fallen off of. They were surprised to see Sonic there, an extremely worried look on his face. Tails let himself and Shadow fall onto the ground, his tails and whole body aching in extreme pain. Sonic hurried over to them.

"What happened? What happened to Ivo? Tails, you were flying?!"

The kit groaned and Shadow spoke up.

"Bombini is dead, or I hope so after that long fall he had. We all fell off, and Tails managed to…fly…and bring us both up."

Sonic thought it over, "Ivo is…dead?" It was almost a whisper but it was heard.

The malevolent ringmaster had fallen to his death.

Dead.

Gone.

Never to be seen again.

His body lying somewhere on unknown ground.

"He's gone." The child said, sitting up and still panting.

The person who had started this whole nightmare was no longer there. The kit just couldn't believe it.

He was free. He was finally out of the terrible hell he had suffered in for quite some time.

"What happened to the others?" Shadow asked his cobalt friend, who grinned in return.

"I lost them, but I don't think we will be seeing them soon." No one knew if the statement was truthful or not, but they decided not to ask questions.

"Right," Shadow eyed Sonic suspiciously, then he looked at Tails, "How did you..fly? I still can't believe that you flew. With your twin tails. You saved both of us because of that!"

The kit was speechless. _How_ excatly did he fly? The only thing he knew was that he needed to do something at the moment, and then just like that, he had uncounsciously spinned his tails, causing him to go up.

How?

"I..don't know." He said.

The hedgehogs looked at him curiously.

"Do you think you can do it again, right now?" Sonic asked.

The fox got up on his feet, and looked at his tails. He gave it a try.

It didn't work.

He huffed in annoyance.

Sonic laughed. "I'm sure that with enough practice, you'll be able to do it on your own will."

The child smiled and nodded, but he suddenly frowned deeply.

"What are we going to do know?"

Tails thought it over. All that Sonic and Shadow were going to do was to get Tails out of the carnival, and they had accomplished that. What now?

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

Tails sighed. "You guys came to get me out, and I am very thankful for that. Really. I wouldn't appreciate it more," he looked away, "I guess I have to go back to living in the forest now, and I-"

"Hold on there kid!" Sonic interrupted, waving his hands in a stop motion , "Who said you were going back to living alone in the forest?"

The kit was shocked. "What?"

Shadow had a serious look on. "You are too young to be survivng alone, especially with the way society acts. You'd be in danger. You are going to live with us from now on."

He wouldn't be alone..anymore?

The child had always been alone. He had survived alone, he had adapted alone. He always wished he had some sort of family or friend that could be with him everyday. And now...

"Really!?" He exclaimed. The sun was starting to rise, the night now left behind.

"Of course! Did you really think we would just abandon you after all this?" The blue one questioned, not believing that the child was really thinking he would be alone again.

Tails felt a great excitement within him. "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He couldn't help himself. He leapt up and ran to the blue one, embracing him and tightening his grip when the hedgehog hugged back. Then he went to Shadow, also embracing him, the feelings pouring out.

Miles had started off alone, feeling lost and scared. He had experienced so many things a child his age didn't deserve to see and feel. He had fallen into the trap of the malevolent wonderland, all his feelings of hope quickly diminishing. He went through even worse experiences in that carnival of hell, feeling humiliated and hated, treated unfairly. Yet he learned that there was always hope, even if it wasn't noticable at the time.

Tails held on to Shadow a while longer.

Shadow...

He understood what it was like. He knew, he experienced what the kit had experienced. The cloaked hedgehog had fought for him, had accepted him for who he was because he hadn't been accepted either. They were outsiders, freaks.

As long as he wasn't alone on that matter he didn't care.

Tails was free, and he wasn't alone anymore.

Shadow tightened his hold on his friend.

Yes, he was free.

_And he was happy._

* * *

><p><strong>After Note: Wow, I'm done. I posted this in what...January? Ten months, Nine chapters. Wow. Ok, well this is it.<strong>

**The End.**

**Fin.**

**Finale.**

**Whatever. **

**Haha ok well I like how this came out but then again I don't. Its up for you guys to decide that. I know that there are many unanswered questions out there, but honestly, I had many ideas to answer those, and I couldnt decide what to write, so I'll leave that up to your imagination. The possibilities are endless, I mean, I was going to end this tragically, but I felt bad because you guys wanted a nice happy ending. To be honest, I did too. And this reminds me, I want to thank ALL of the people who helped me out with my writers block, you know who you are, it was really appreciated and I did my best to fit a bit of each of your ideas into it without killing it lol.**

**Ok well I'd like to thank everyone who has stayed with me here since the beginning, you've been kind and supporting (I was touched that you actually payed attention to my personal comments such as when my brother was born and how was nervous about entering highschool), and overall, everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed is awesome.**

**Once again thank you all and if you are interested in more of my work, I'm working on a Sonic fanfic that I will post near Halloween. lol Or maybe this following week because it'll be my birthday! Yay!**

**Comments and feedback is always welcome!**


End file.
